Sweden's biomass market

[Anouk Kendall <anouk@shaw.ca>]

Folke

I am sorting out the comments from the list but need a bit more from you.

With respect to Sweden's developments in wood energy, could you comment on
the relationship between energy producers and the Swedish Forestry
Commission. For instance, how have wood fuels from British Columbia in
Western Canada become an economically viable option for Sweden's energy
industry given the local availability of forestry residue?

Also, I need a bit of clarification regarding:

"There has also been a knowledge development on measuring, writing up
contracts and other transaction cost decreasing activities, even though it's
very often on a company basis. This knowledge is crucial if international
trade should be possible, that you have ways of determining just what you're
dealing with and how to measure it, the traditional volume measures are very
inadequate for these issues."

Can you be a bit more specific about the knowedge development you are
referring to.

Thanks

Anouk

----- Original Message -----
From: "Folke Bohlin" <folke.bohlin@sh.slu.se>
To: "Anouk Kendall" <anouk@shaw.ca>
Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2002 2:26 AM
Subject: Re: Research Topics


Hi Anouk!

I'm not sure exactly what you're after, must have missed your earlier
e-mail, but your question is thought provoking in a general sense.

There is a growing international market in bioenergy.  For a few years a
Swedish district heating plant has imported wood pellets all the way from
British Columbia. We have also imported very significant quantities of
forest fuels from the Baltic countries and recycled wood from other
European countries.  All driven by our CO2 tax of course.

There has also been a knowledge development on measuring, writing up
contracts and other transaction cost decreasing activities, even though
it's very often on a company basis. This knowledge is crucial if
international trade should be possible, that you have ways of determining
just what you're dealing with and how to measure it, the traditional volume
measures are very inadequate for these issues.

Denmark and the Netherlands are following suit, increasing their bioenergy
use and imports.  - I think these examples are important also for providing
"reality" for bioenergy, which is really what is needed for new investments
to take place, i.e. that this energy form is taken seriously and not
considered "an alternative for the future".  And investments are needed to
use bioenergy, even if they need perhaps not be that large.

Still, there is a long way to go, and one thing is to have bioenergy
recognised as a RESOURCE.  It's all too common that it is classified as
waste, and I believe this is standard EU practice.  Regardless of its
origin, bioenergy is a product or by product in itself, c.f. forest fuels
which is made up of branches and tops left after a clear cut and rotted
wood which is not fit for the fibre industry's needs.

My two bits' worth, folke

---------------------------------------
Folke Bohlin, SkogD, Forskare
Institutionen för Skogens Produkter och Marknader
SLU
Box 7060
75007 Uppsala

E-mail Folke Bohlin@sh.slu.se
Tel.   018-673521
Fax.   018-673522



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